NEW CASTLE — A man from Bear was killed in a crash on Friday night while attempting to remove a fallen sofa from the road.

Delaware State Police spokesperson Master Cpl. Heather Pepper said that at approximately 7:29 p.m. on Friday, a 65-year-old man was traveling northbound on Bear Christiana Road, Del. 7, approaching Newtown Road. A truck the Bear man was following had a couch fall out of the back into the roadway, landing partially in the center median and partially in the left travel lane of southbound Del. 7, police said. The victim and another driver stopped in the left turn lane on the northbound side of the road, south of Newtown Road.

A 2008 Dodge Dakota traveling southbound on Del. 7 in the left travel lane approached the intersection where the pedestrian was still standing. The driver of the Dodge allegedly saw the pedestrian at the last second and veered to the right, unsuccessfully attempting to avoid the collision and striking the victim with the left front of the Dodge, according to police. The other individual helping to move the couch was not. injured.

The 65-year-old Bear man was transported to a nearby hospital by EMS, where he was pronounced deceased. The 42-year-old Middletown man driving the Dodge Dakota was not injured.

Police said the location is dark and only slightly illuminated by nearby lighting. Both directions of Del. 7 were closed to vehicular traffic between Newtown Road and Freedom Road for approximately 3 hours while the crash was investigated and cleared. Delaware State Police Troop 2 Collision Reconstruction Unit is investigating the collision.